She signed, anxious to learn what the delivery was about.The envelope was official looking, with a return address from a law firm in Charleston, South Carolina.That was her hometown.
"What is it?"Genevieve said.
Cadie tore open the envelope.The letter inside was printed on cream-colored paper with a letterhead that read,Hartwell and Associates, Attorneys at Law.
She scanned the letter quickly, then felt lightheaded.
Genevieve's hand was on her arm."Cadie, you're pale.What is it?"
"My aunt died."The words came out flat, but grief filled her."Celia Ann.She was my father's older sister."
"I'm so sorry.What does the letter say?"
Cadie read the letter again, trying to make sense of it."My aunt was eighty-one.She passed away.There is a historic property, Stratton House, and she named me as the sole beneficiary."
"What does that mean?"
"The attorney has requested that I come to Charleston…this week," Cadie said."The property was a music conservatory, and I need to meet with the estate attorney to complete the title transfer."
Genevieve looked surprised.
"She loved that place," Cadie said."I remember her talking about it when I was in high school.She and her husband ran it for years.It was a conservatory and performance space.I've only been there a few times."
The memories were hazy.Her aunt had let Cadie play the grand piano in the main hall, wanting her to hear the way it sounded.She'd only been a teen then, but Cadie still remembered the rich, full music filling the space.
Once, before he died, her father had taken her to the conservatory.He had been so proud of his older sister and the way she had preserved the beautiful building.Then, two years after Cadie graduated from high school, her father died of a heart attack.It had been sudden, leaving her with a thousand things she had never said.
"How long has it been since you saw your aunt?"Genevieve asked.
"Not since my father's funeral."Cadie felt guilty about that."I should have stayed in touch."
"You were building your life here.She must have understood that."
Cadie looked at the letter again.The formal language told her nothing about her aunt's last years or last thoughts.
The other band members hovered nearby, uncertain whether to give Cadie space or offer support.
Genevieve frowned."What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Cadie said."I suppose I must go to Charleston.The attorney wants to meet with me to discuss the estate."
"When will you go?"
"He says the property transfer requires my presence and signature, so I'd best not delay."Cadie tried to imagine herself back in Charleston, a city that held so many memories of her past."It's a music conservatory," she said again.
"That's reallysomething."
The historic building was dedicated to teaching, preserving, and creating music.It was a place that mattered.Cadie folded the letter then put it back into the envelope."Can you manage without me for a few days?"
"Of course, we can manage fine."Genevieve squeezed her arm."Take whatever time you need."
It felt like the past was reaching forward, demanding Cadie's attention after so many years.
Her father's grave was in Charleston at the cemetery she hadn't visited since the funeral.Her mother had moved to Florida years ago, retreating into grief, so Cadie had lost her too.The city held memories she had blocked out, because they were too painful.
But now her aunt had chosen to place the conservatory, a piece of her family's history, in her hands.
She slipped the envelope into her bag and returned to the piano bench.For a while longer, she could find comfort in the rehearsal and with her friends.The band resumed positions.Her fingers flowed over the keys, muscle memory taking over where conscious thought failed.The melody that emerged was one that had been haunting her recently, one she wanted to share.
